The Shelby County Post announces the addition of John Hartnett Jr. as a contributing writer to the local online news resource.
The veteran historian will contribute news and sports stories with strong local ties for readers of the Shelby County Post.
Hartnett Jr. retired in 2020 after a 40-year career at the J. Kenneth Self Shelbyville Boys and Girls Club. His service to the community include past president of the Indiana Boys and Girls Club Worker’s Association, Shelby County Babe Ruth Baseball board of directors, Shelbyville Central Schools Building Committee, the Indiana Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, Shelby County Drug Free Coalition and Shelby County United Fund For You (SCUFFY).
Hartnett Jr. is a member of the Shelbyville High School Alumni Hall of Fame and received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 2021.
In addition, Hartnett Jr. worked as a sports announcer for WSVL/WOOO Radio covering Shelbyville High School football and basketball games from 1983 until 2000.
Hartnett’s father, John Hartnett Sr., was a founding partner of WSVL Radio in 1961 and served as the station’s general manager for 28 years.
WSVL/WOOO now operates under the WSVX banner as GIANT fm Real Radio.
“John Hartnett Jr. is a living historian of Shelbyville and Shelby County events with unmatched memories of Shelbyville High School athletic history,” said Jeff Brown, news editor of the Shelby County Post. “He is a terrific storyteller with dedicated research to back up his words that readers will truly enjoy. The Hartnett family name has strong roots in this community and an even stronger bond to the history of this radio station.”
Hartnett Jr. and his wife, Karen, a registered nurse for IU Health, have been married for 32 years. They have two sons, Derek, a financial professional in Fort Myers, Florida, and John Aaron, a Shelbyville High School teacher and varsity boys basketball coach.
John Hartnett Jr. is an assistant coach with the Shelbyville boys basketball program.
The Shelby County Post is the digital news source for GIANT fm Real Radio. The website www.shelbycountypost.com is updated daily with news and sports stories and obituaries from around Shelby County as well as podcasts from aired presentations such as local football and basketball games and weekly programming such as Chamber Chat.
The Shelby County Post operates without a need for subscription. There is no pay wall to navigate or limited number of stories available to read.
